SUMMARRY CAPTAIN NOBODY

Captain Nobody is narrated by Newt Newman, a thoroughly average ten-year-old. The book opens
with an ominous prologue in which Newt is falling from somewhere very high. As he falls, he
remembers that everything started on the morning of the Big Game.

The narrative flashes back to the last Friday in October. Everyone in Newt’s hometown, Appleton, is
excited for the Big Game between the local high school football teams, and no one is more excited
than Chris, Newt’s older brother and local football hero. Newt feels inadequate next to his star
brother and ignored by his workaholic parents. He is similarly ignored at school, except for his two
friends Cecil and JJ. Before class, the three discuss their Halloween costumes, but are disappointed
by how boring they are. They decide they must all come up with a costume that matches their “inner
other.” Newt struggles all day to come up with a good costume, even as his parents take him to
watch Chris in the big game.

Newt accidentally gets locked out of the stadium during the final quarter, but sees his brother score
the winning touchdown despite being tackled. But Chris does not get up. At the hospital, the doctors
inform Newt’s family that Chris is in a coma. Over the next few days, Newt replays the tackle over
and over. On Halloween, Cecil and JJ come over, but Newt admits he still doesn’t have a costume,
only his brother’s jersey. Cecil and JJ transform the jersey into a superhero costume and all three go
trick-or-treating. After being asked who he is by an adult, Newt takes his brother’s initials, C.N., and
declares himself Captain Nobody.

The next day, Newt wears his Captain Nobody costume to school. His classmates mock him and the
school administration worries he’s coping poorly after his brother’s accident. That night, Cecil calls
for Captain Nobody, asking Newt to help him retrieve a cool, old bass drum from the top of a
dumpster. Newt is afraid of heights, but Captain Nobody isn’t. They get the drum and are
interrupted by Mr. Clay, an old man with Alzheimer’s who has gotten lost. Captain Nobody escorts
Mr. Clay home. Mr. Clay explains to his relieved wife that Captain Nobody rescued him.

Newt and his dad discuss Chris. He isn’t yet well enough to have visitors. Newt’s parents think the
Captain Nobody persona is funny and harmless, and his classmates and teachers even get on board.
At school, Newt is confronted by Ricky, the cousin of Reggie, the player who tackled Chris. He and
Newt argue, but the rest of Newt’s class come to his defense. Captain Nobody has made everyone
braver. Later, JJ calls for Captain Nobody, distressed by grammar mistakes on the sign for Sullivan’s
Jewelry store. Annoyed, Captain Nobody agrees to talk to the owner. When he enters the store, he
realizes he has interrupted an armed robbery, and with the robber distracted, the store owner
manages to pull the alarm. The robber flees. Newt and JJ run away before the police arrive. That
night, Newt is mentioned on the news, but only as “the little guy” or “midget” not as Captain
Nobody. That morning, he hears the robber has been arrested. He also discovers a crumpled medical
report in the trash, which tells him Chris may not ever wake up.

The next day after school, while acting as an ambassador for Ferocious the ferret, Chris’ team’s
mascot, Newt is set upon by Ricky and his friends. In the chaos, the ferret escapes onto the highway
and, as Captain Nobody, Newt halts the oncoming traffic. Just then, a very small plane makes an
emergency landing on the highway. Though the local news seems unclear on whether Captain
Nobody is a hero or villain, Newt is ready to retire the persona. As he dreams that night, he recalls
his brother’s accident, which he saw from a special vantage point. He remembers that it was Darryl,
one of Chris’ teammates, who caused the accident.

The next morning, Newt prepares to visit Chris, when the news reports that Reggie is on the local
water tower, about to commit suicide over his guilt in causing Chris’ coma. Newt, the only one who
knows the truth, puts on his costume. Newt goes to the water tower. CC and JJ help him evade the
police and he reaches the top. He learns that Reggie is not there to kill himself, but got stuck trying
to graffiti the tower. Captain Nobody helps Reggie get loose, and as they climb down, Newt falls.
Thankfully, he lands on a rubber mattress, but then Reggie lands on top of him.

In the hospital with a broken ankle and ribs, he sees the news report on his stunt at the water tower.
He tells his parents that Reggie was not responsible for Chris’ coma. While visiting his brother for the
first time, Chris finally wakes up. After he and Chris recover, Newt leads the victory parade as
Captain Nobody.
CAPTAIN NOBODY – SYNOPSIS BY CHAPTER
CHAPTER 1 : NOBODY EATS BREAKFAST
1. It is the last Friday in October, everybody in Appleton is excited for the derby of an American
football game between the Ferocious Ferrets of Fillmore High School and the Chargers of
Merrimac High School – also known as the Big Game.
2. Newton Newman (Newt) has a big brother, Chris Newman (Chris),who is a local football star,
who plays for the Ferocious Ferrets after an electrifying debut two years back.
3. Newt is preparing breakfast for his family when he comes across an article of his brother in the
Sports section of the local newspaper.
4. At first, Newt is eager to show the article to Dad but he is held down when the phone rings.
5. On the other hand, Mom is also busy receiving a call from their neighbour.
6. Newt gets frustrated as both of his parents have not touched their breakfast.
7. To make himself feel useful, Newt goes upstairs to woke his brother up.
8. Annoyed with Newt’s bellow, Chris throws a pillow at him but ends up hitting the floor hard.

CHAPTER 2 : HALLOWEEN PLANS ARE MADE – SORT OF

1. Appleton Elementary is packed with different kinds of kids and actions.
2. At times, he tries to be friendly and greets his classmates but often, they just stare back fiercely
and ignore him.
3. Before the classes start, Newt finds a quiet place for him to settle down.
4. He takes out one of his Secret Superhero Sketchbooks and starts playing with his imagination.
5. Newt has never shown his sketching of the superhero characters to anyone else except to his two
best friends, Cecil and JJ, who have utmost admiration towards Newt’s creativity.
6. Cecil alerts them of the coming Halloween and suggests that they celebrate it as usual.
7. Talking about celebrating Halloween, the three of them are bored with their own costumes as
they have been wearing the same outfits for years.
8. Eventually, Cecil suggests that each of them needs to come out with an outstandingHalloween
costume based on their ‘inner other’ that will catch everybody’s attention.

CHAPTER 3 : I SEARCH FOR SOMEBODY I AM NOT

1. During social studies class, Newt is still searching for an idea for his Halloween costume.
2. He imagines himself as Zeus, the god of lightning according to the Greek myth, but soon realises
that he does not fit in the descriptions shown by his subject teacher.
3. Not giving up, he raises his hand asking Mrs. Young what the American pioneers wore when
they built the country.
4. Although Newt is ridiculed by his classmate, the answer given by his teacher is more than
enough for him to rule out the possibility of having such costume for Halloween.
5. The school ends early so the students and locals can watch the Big Game Pep Parade on the
street.
6. Newton is ecstatic to attend his brother’s last game of the season.
7. On the other hand, Cecil and JJ are more incline to their Halloween costumes.
8. That has put Newt back in dilemma as he is having hard time thinking about his own Halloween
costume.
9. Newt falls asleep while figuring out the design of his costume only to wake up after he has a
terrible dream.
10. It is time for the Big Game as his parents are getting ready for it and with heavy heart, Newt has
to put aside his coming Halloween celebration and shift his focus on the final game.
CHAPTER 4 : FOOTBALL IS PLAYED AND MISTAKES ARE MADE
1. Newt stops thinking about Halloween when he recalls the moment Chris mentions Reggie
Ratner, an opponent from Merrimac High, who has always been holding grudges against his
brother.
2. To make it worst, during the Big Game, the crowd play sentiment on both Chris and Reggie.
3. Newt, who is now away from his bleacher, is shown his way out after he fails to present his seat
ticket to the person in charge.
4. When the final quarter starts, both teams are level and unfortunately, Newt is forced to watch
the game from outside the wire fence surrounding Fillmore Field.
5. He can see that the Home team, especially his brother, is playing their hearts out until the
game reaches its last 45 seconds – the Away team is leading by two points.
6. Without giving up, the Big Game is getting more intense during the last seven seconds.
7. The Ferrets show high determination and Chris manages to get a last minute touchdown.
8. There are mixed feelings on the ground as the opponents bow down to their defeat and the home
crowd is jubilant with the winning streak.

CHAPTER 5 : THE BAD DREAMS BEGIN

1. Chris is unconscious as the result of the winning touchdown.
2. The whole ground is in complete silence when Chris is being attended and brought to the
hospital.
3. Chris’ test results come out and fortunately he is not suffering from any broken parts, he is just
in coma.
4. Back in his room, Newt still cannot forget what happened during the winning touchdown as he
describes it as the thunderous crash.
5. He tries to revert his concentration to Halloween as the Big Game incident keeps rewinding in
his mind.
6. The next day, Newt answers various callers trying to get some news about Chris.
7. Cecil and JJ drop by at Newt’s house to give a few things to cheer him up.
8. The local community is talking about the touchdown incident and starts calling it the Big Tackle.
9. Cecil also tells Newt that some of the Ferrets get some revenge on Reggie, the Chargers’
defensive back who is accused of causing Chris to get into his coma.
10. As the Newt recalls the Big Tackle, JJ tries to divert his attention by asking about their
Halloween plan.
11. Speechless, Newt tries to avoid Halloween by saying that he has lots of chores to settle.
12. Both Cecil and JJ are not convinced and they decide to meet the next day at 6.00 p.m for
Halloween.

CHAPTER 6 : I GET A TERRIBLE IDEA

1. Newt is frantically searching for idea as he is running out of time to come out with his Halloween
costume and falls asleep soon after.
2. By noon, Newt is still clueless about his costume and he decides not to celebrate Halloween.
3. He then falls asleep when sketching his latest fantasy superhero character.
4. Mom is already home when Newt wakes up.
5. After peeping at Mom holding his brother’s sweatshirt, Newt asks if there is anything he can do
to cheer her up.
6. But Newt is told that he could do nothing for the moment.
7. Taken aback by Mom’s words, he decides to prove that he is useful in such stressful situation.
8. Just before he can cheer Mom up by wearing his brother’s football jersey, she has already left
home for the hospital.
9. In the meantime, Cecil and JJ arrive at Newt’s doorstep.
10. Newt clumsily opens the door only to find that he is in awe of his two friends.
11. Cecil disguises himself as the famous musician, Mozart whereas JJ is dressed up as Splendida, a
fictional character from her favourite book.
12. Lastly, the big and important question pops out, ‘What is Newton Newman going to be for
Halloween?’
CHAPTER 7 : I HIDE – AND FIND MYSELF
1. Newt is out of words when is asked to explain about his outfit as he is wearing his brother’s
pieces of clothing.
2. JJ asks Newt if there is something wrong with his brother.
3. Newt replies that his brother is doing fine.
4. He does not want to let his best friends down so he insists that both of them should continue
celebrating Halloween without him.
5. Newt finally confesses that he does not have a costume for himself and he immediately
explains everything that he did in search for a suitable costume before Cecil and JJ can respond
to the confession.
6. After a long silence, Cecil and JJ decide to transform Newt’s outfit on the spot.
7. Both of them alter the pieces of clothing that Newt is wearing and eventually they manage to
produce an outstanding costume.
8. They reach the ultimate transformation when JJ cuts two small holes on the sweatband that
Newt is wearing o his forehead and change it into a mask.
9. Newt himself feels rejuvenated after looking at himself in the mirror.
10. The three of them feel ecstatic as they finally manage to celebrate the Halloween together.

CHAPTER 8 : I RAISE MY VOICE

1. When they arrive at the first stop, the lady and her husband living in the house
are rejoicedwhen they look at Cecil, JJ and Newt.
2. The lady has perfectly guessed Cecil’s and JJ’s Halloween costumes.
3. Then, the couple turns their attention to Newt, who is still searching for an identity of his own as
he has not named his alter ego yet.
4. The lady’s husband notices C.N. on the middle of Newt’s forehead and he directly asks them
about those initials.
5. Surprised by the question, Newton is tongue-tied at first while both Cecil and JJ are quick
enough to throw some hints when they see Newton first reaction after being asked by the man.
6. Eventually, Newt manages to overcome his own fear and he reveals himself as Captain Nobody,
C.N.

CHAPTER 9 : I PRACTISE MY NEW NAME

1. After they leave the first house, Cecil and JJ really like the idea of ‘Captain Nobody’
2. JJ gets a bit emotional as she can see that Newt seems to forget about his brother’s critical
condition after being enthusiastic of becoming Captain Nobody.
3. This time around, it is Newt who breaks the awkward moment and urges his two best friends to
focus on celebrating Halloween.
4. On that night, people show great interest into the three of them.
5. The attention that they get has been joyful especially for Newton.
6. 6.He feels more confident being Captain Nobody than being Newton Newman.
7. Cecil and JJ are also aware of Newt’s change of attitude when they are counting their trick-or-
treat collection under the street lights.
8. When Newt arrives at his house, his mother has already hit the sack.
9. He is a little bit disappointed because he wants to show his Halloween costume to her.
10. Just before he falls asleep, Newt reassures himself by saying that he is not supposed to be
anybody, he is Captain Nobody.
CHAPTER 10 : I MAKE A WILD WARDROBE CHOICE
1. Newt, who has always been positive about his brother, cannot stop ruling out the worst
outcome of his brother’s condition and he feels uneasy about it.
2. Then, he quickly realises that he needs to get ready for school.
3. He tries to look for his school outfit and after he fails to find an appropriate one, he goes to
school with the Captain Nobody’s costume.
4. There are mixed reactions from his classmates; some make fun of him wearing the outfit but
Cecil and JJ show support for his wild wardrobe choice.
5. Mrs. Young successfully manages the situation in the class from going haywire as all eyes are
set on Captain Nobody and a few kids start mocking him.
6. In the Principal’s office, a discussion is going on between Principal Toomey and Mrs. Young
while Captain Nobody waits outside.
7. On a serious note, Mrs. Young jumps into a conclusion that Newt is having a hard
time coping with his brother’s latest condition and she reports that Newt insists of being called
Captain Nobody.
8. After that, a more heated discussion is going on after the school counsellor and nurse join in
and later on, the principal tells Newt that Captain Nobody is welcomed in the school.
9. During lunch break, Cecil and JJ insist of becoming Captain Nobody’s sidekicks and tell Newt to
continue becoming Captain Nobody because people start to notice them ever since.

CHAPTER 11 : CAPTAIN NOBODY FACES A FEAR

1. Newt runs home after he realises that his parents still do not know about Captain Nobody and he
does not want to get weird reaction from them.
2. As he is running, Cecil summons for Captain Nobody and thinking he is joking, Newt just
ignores it.
3. Although feeling reluctant, Newt decides to respond to the call and meet Cecil at the corner of
Wareen and Kander streets.
4. Cecil leads their way, together with a wagon, passing by Dumpsters and garbage cans until they
stop at one point.
5. There is a big bass drum which has been thrown away, sitting on the of the Dumpster that
catches Cecil’s attention.
6. Feeling determined to own the drum, Cecil is feeling hopeful that Captain Nobody will lend his
hands to get it down from the top of he Dumpster.
7. Newt is afraid of heights. So, he suggests Cecil to be the one who should climb the Dumpster.
8. After Cecil makes it clear that the job is meant for the fearless Captain Nobody, Newt changes
his mind.
9. Captain Nobody climbs on and carefully passes the drum to his sidekick, Cecil who is waiting
with open arms on the ground.
10. As Captain Nobody is about to settle down, he screams his lungs out when a hand suddenly
comes out from the pile of cardboard boxes and grabs him by his ankle.

CHAPTER 12 : CAPTAIN NOBODY FIRST COMES TO THE RESCUE

1. Surprised by the incident, Cecil shouts at the old man who is holding Captain Nobody’s ankle
and the old man quickly releases his hand off.
2. Captain Nobody recognises the familiar face of the old man, Mr. Clay, who used to be
a locksmith, because his mother has used some of his services when she was in trouble.
3. Cecil is still skeptical about Mr. Clay and tries to warn Captain Nobody that the old man might
be dangerous to them.
4. Captain Nobody claims that the old man is not harmful to them, it is just that he is suffering
from a diseases, Alzheimer.
5. Mr. Clay drops his plastic medicine bottle into Captain Nobody’s hand which immediately
explains the old man’s situation.
6. After introducing himself as Captain Nobody, he and Cecil walk Mr. Clay home.
7. Captain Nobody knows where the old man lives as he always parks his cherry red van in front of
his house.
8. Mrs. Clay is relieved when she sees her husband standing at the front door of their house.
9. Mr. Clay explains that he is rescued by Captain Nobody.
CHAPTER 13 : DAD MEETS CAPTAIN NOBODY
1. Newt heads home and gets excited when he sees his father’s car in the driveway.
2. In the kitchen, Dad meets Captain Nobody for the first time.
3. A moment after that, Dad starts to apologise to Newt because he has received several calls from
the school.
4. After the meeting in the Principal’s office, the people from school think that Captain Nobody
appears in school because he is so upset about his brother’s condition.
5. Newt tries his very best to reason with Dad about being Captain Nobody outside the house.
6. Dad feels relieved after Newt manages to assure him that he is still being himself and his alter
ago is just some sort of confidence booster.
7. Dad even takes a photo of Captain Nobody and sends it to Mom.
8. Suddenly, the walkie-talkie squeals in the middle of their conversation.
9. Cecil makes contact just to ask a silly favour from Captain Nobody and Newt, who is in disbelief,
starts to make a weird sound through the walkie-talkie as if the device is running out of battery.
10. As Newt is about to sleep, Dad tells him that Mom is having a good laugh about Captain Nobody
and she starts showing the image to everybody in the hospital.
11. Dad explains about the current situation and hospital procedures that they need to follow and he
assures Newt will be the first one to visit if the situation improves.

CHAPTER 14 : CERTAIN THREATS ARE MADE

1. The next morning, nobody is making fun at Newt disguising as Captain Nobody and even Mrs.
Young addresses him accordingly.
2. Later on, after Cecil explains to JJ how to operate her walkie-talkie, the three of them decide to
test their new mode of alternative communication.
3. As Newt is about to respond on the walkie-talkie, a football hit at the back of his head.
4. It comes from the students in the seventh grade and one particular kid named Ricky Ratner
approaches Newt in a non-friendly manner.
5. Ricky, who happens to be Reggie’s cousin, wants Newt to make everyone know that Reggie is not
the culprit of the Big Tackle that leads to Chris’s critical condition.
6. Things are about to get uglier during the heated conversation between Ricky and Newt when
suddenly all of the fourth graders stand up for Newt, Cecil and JJ.
7. Before the crowd disperses, the confrontation ends with a threat from Ricky for Newt.
8. Cecil makes a point that the vibes coming from Captain Nobody make everyone in the fourth
grade becomes more courageous.
9. After what had happened, Newt has to carefully sneak out from the school.
10. He is shocked the moment JJ calls for Captain Nobody’s help through the walkie-talkie.
11. Captain Nobody dashes to the Sullivan’s Jewelry Store after their conversation ends with JJ
screaming at the other end of the line.

CHAPTER 15 : BAD SPELLING LEADS TO SOMETHING WORSE

1. Captain Nobody is almost out of breath when he arrives at the curb in front of Sullivan’s Jewelry
store.
2. JJ cannot get herself over with the spelling and grammar mistakes found on the cardboard signs
in the jewelry store.
3. She has tried talking to the Sullivan but she is ignored by the couple.
4. JJ insists that Captain Nobody can make a difference if he goes in and talk to the owners.
5. Feeling obliged to the duty of a superhero, Captain Nobody steps into the store where he can
clearly see Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan at the far end with their only customer.
6. Afraid that he is interrupting their business, Captain Nobody wants to leave the store but the
couple insists that they will be hearing anything from him.
7. Captain Nobody cannot believe his eyes as he stares at the customer’s sweatshirt because he is
holding a gun inside of the pocket.
8. The situation becomes more chaotic when Mr. Sullivan manages to sound the alarm in the
store.
9. Before the robber flees the scene, he threatens Captain Nobody not to report the incident to the
authority or something bad will happen to him.
10. After being warned, Captain Nobody immediately walks out the store and wants to leave the
scene.
11. JJ tries to convince Captain Nobody to talk to the police about the robbery.
12. Both of them run away when Captain Nobody explains about the threat he has received from the
robber.
CHAPTER 16 : I DON’T APPEAR ON THE FIVE O’CLOCK NEWS
1. Newt reaches home late after the robbery.
2. Although terrified with the incident, he is able to sense something is not going well after
hearing Mom’s response.
3. The conversation is halted when the phone rings for Mom.
4. Newt helps himself in the kitchen and watches the television.
5. To his surprise, the news is reporting on the robbery in the Sullivan’s Jewelry Store.
6. He is quite annoyed with the news report as Captain Nobody is referred as ‘the little guy’,
‘a midget’ and even as ‘a leprechaun’.
7. JJ phones Newt to talk about the news report and he reminds JJ not to spread a word about the
incident.
8. That night, Newt to talk about the news report and he reminds JJ not to spread a word about the
incident.
9. That night, Newt is having dinner with Mom and both of them seem to have secrets that they do
not wish to reveal to one another.
10. Before he goes to bed, he reflects all the bad and good incidents that Captain Nobody has gone
through.
11. He dreams about his brother again, but this time Chris addresses him as ‘Captain’ and Newt feels
proud to be acknowledged by his brother.
12. The next morning, he comes to a huge relief after hearing the first news because the robber has
been arrested.
13. The second news, however, is not that promising. He finds a crumpled paper in the trash bin.
14. He is now aware that Chris will be in more serious trouble if he does not wake up after 6 days.
15. He realises that his parents are heavily distracted because of the bad news and he is determined
to make the situation becomes better.

CHAPTER 17 : I CHEAT DEATH

1. Darryl and Colby are on a special tour to show supports to Chris Newman after the Big Tackle
incident by bringing along the team ambassador, Ferocious the Ferret.
2. A lucky student will get the chance to bring Ferocious home for one day.
3. Newt gets to babysit the animal and he is unhappy about it since he has a plan to visit his brother
after school.
4. As the three of them are walking home, Ricky Ratner and six of his friends are blocking their
way.
5. Unlike before, this time around, Ricky is angrier as his cousin, Reggie, is still being hassledby
Chris’s friends.
6. Ricky notices the ferret and he signals his friends to scramble the animal’s cage.
7. Suddenly, the cage door opens and Ferocious jumps out and gets away.
8. Captain Nobody, Cecil and JJ chase the animal off until they reach the highway.
9. Captain Nobody needs to come at the rescue for once again and this time, he dodges the
incoming traffic light just to get Ferocious back.
10. Being overwhelmed by the dangerous situation, Captain Nobody waves frantically, hoping
for the vehicles to stop.
11. As soon as the traffic stops, just about in the nick of time, a small aeroplane carrying passengers
makes an emergency landing on the highway!
12. Everybody who is at the scene cannot believe their own eyes and when the word seems to stop
for a moment, Ferocious sits on Captain Nobody’s ankle and he scoops the ferret up safely.
CHAPTER 18 : I LEARN AN UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH
1. After Ferocious the Ferret has been caught, they leave the place as they need to gather their
things that they have left by the roadside.
2. At Newt’s house, the news about the aeroplane landing has become a sensation.
3. Every person who is interviewed in the news gives their thoughts about the incident, also
mentioning what Captain Nobody has done in stopping the busy traffic.
4. The reporter concludes that it is undecided either Captain Nobody is good or evil.
5. Cecil and JJ insist that they should go back to the highway and explain about the whole
situation.
6. Captain Nobody, on the other hand, feels that he should revert himself by becoming Newton
Newman after what he has been through.
7. By the time Cecil and JJ leave the house, it is already too late for Newt to visit his brother.
8. Around dinner time, Dad calls to inform that he is going to stay over at the hospital with Mom.
9. Newt also informs that his days as Captain Nobody are already over.
10. That night, he dreams about the highway incident which then suddenly the Big Tackle incident
starts to rewind.
11. At the end of the dream, Newt learns that it is Darryl Peeps who had clashed his helmet against
his brother’s.

CHAPTER 19 : REGGIE RATNER DECIDES TO END IT ALL

1. The next morning starts off with Newt having breakfast with Mom.
2. Newt mentions that he knows about Chris only has 6 days to wake up and he suprises Mom by
announcing that he is going to visit Chris later on that day.
3. Although he pledges that he will not be wearing the costume again, he stuffs the outfit into his
backpack and heads for school.
4. He realises that he feels so lonely and ignored after returning to school as Newton Newman.
5. When Newt is heading for his lunch break, he notices a lot of teachers rushing into the faculty
lounge and gather around the television.
6. There is news on the television reporting about Reggie Ratner wants to jump off the Appleton
water tower after feeling depressed since the Big Tackle incident.
7. Newt is in dilemma as he claims that he is the only one who knows the truth about the Big
Tackle incident.

CHAPTER 20 : I CLIMB UP TO THE SKY

1. As JJ trying to lift Captain Nobody to get a good trip on the second rung of the ladder, a
policeman approaches them.
2. Cecil feels dutiful as Captain Nobody’s sidekick and he tries to shift the officer’s attention and it
works.
3. Although the water tower supportive structures, including the ladder, are not as strong as it used
to be, Captain Nobody manages to slither his way to reach Reggie Ratner despites the other
challenges that he had to face.
4. On top of the tower, they both talk to each other about the Big Game and the series of event that
has been happening after the incident.
5. Captain Nobody learns that Reggie climbs the tower to vandalise the water tank.
6. The truth is actually Reggie’s left foot is stuck and he needs Captain Nobody to untie his shoelace
of which Captain Nobody manages to help Reggie and it is broadcasted through the news
channels in the country.
7. Then, when they reach at a critical point, Reggie becomes unconvinced since Captain Nobody
needs to climb the ladder down first.
8. As Captain Nobody is counting every step down, he is surprised to see Reggie is also getting his
hands on the ladder.
9. Trying to find his balance with his feet dangling on the air, Captain Nobody loses his grip and
falls down.

CHAPTER 21 : I FINISH FALLING

1. Captain Nobody feels time is passing by rapidly and everything seems to fall into pieces at the
same time.
2. Fortunately, a huge, inflated rubber mattress catches him from hitting the hard ground.
3. Captain Nobody is about to celebrate his safe touch on the ground when he suddenly sees
a massive figure falling to his landing spot.
4. Captain Nobody swoons himself as the result of the impact by the huge Reggie Ratner.
CHAPTER 22 : I FINALLY GET TO THE HOSPITAL
1. Newt does not realise that he is in the hospital until Mom explains that he suffers from a broken
ankle and ribs.
2. From his bed, he sees Cecil on the television responding to the media on behalf of Captain
Nobody.
3. Mom and Dad begins to tell what had really happened after Captain Nobody passes out and they
cannot stop worrying about him since the live broadcast appears on the television.
4. Suddenly, Reggie shows up and visits Newt with a lot of reporters waiting eagerly behind the
sliding door of the recovery room.
5. Watching at his parents feeling a bit bitter towards Reggie, Newt begins to reveal that it was
actually Darryl Peeps who knocks Chris out during the Big Tackle.
6. From the recovery room, Newt is transferred into the same room where his brother has been
lying motionlessly.
7. Although finally he has the chance to meet his brother in the hospital, he feels useless as he
cannot help his brother to wake up. He wishes to tell his brother about Captain Nobody.
8. While he is thinking to himself and rewinding the memory that he has in the morning of the Big
Game, Newt lets out a scream, ‘HIT THE SHOWERS!’ without realising it.
9. The nurses rush in and as he is about to explain to them, Chris throws a pillow at his head, just
like what he will do at home.
10. Chris is finally awake!

CHAPTER 23 : I WAKE UP IN THE NEWS

1. It seems the happiest celebration in the hospital the moment Chris wakes up from his coma.
2. Newt, too, is getting the attention that he has never experienced before.
3. He wants to be the first to talk to Chris but the shot given by the nurse earlier makes him fall into
his sleep.
4. Newt wakes up in the next morning and finds himself at his own house .
5. Cecil and JJ are also in the house and they start talking about the media coverage that they get
after the water tower incident.
6. On the other hand, Chris is nowhere to be seen in the house as he is attending a local television
morning show.
7. The hostess and Chris talk excitedly about what had happened and at the end of the show, Chris
shocks everyone who is watching.
8. Chris insists that the victory parade should be led by the real hero, Captain Nobody, instead of
the winner of the Big Game.
9. That night, although Newt cannot get rid of the pain, he refuses to take the painkiller because
he wants to wait for Chris instead of falling asleep.
10. When Chris arrives home, they set their eyes for good since the Big Game incident
and miraculously, Newt can feel the pain fading away.

CHAPTER 24 : A LITTLE OLD LADY MAKES ME LAUGH

1. The parade is one of the memorable moments for Appleton because for the first time, the
Fillmore High School band is joined by Merrimac’s marching band.
2. Darryl Peeps is not blamed for the Big Tackle and even Reggie gets backs his peaceful life.
3. To reward their special contributions to the society, Newt, Cecil and JJ receive a token of
appreciation from the Sullivan couple, the pilot and passengers of the small aeroplane and
MR. Clay the locksmith respectively.
4. When they reach home, the normal routines get back on track, with Mom asking Newt where she
has misplaced most of her belongings and Dad gets himself busy with his phone and beeper.
5. But, it is not the same story for Newton Newman since all the exposure that he has after
becoming Captain Nobody.
6. Newt is now as popular as his brother, Chris, and event at one point, Chris tells Newt about a
weird incident during the parade.
7. A little old lady from outside town claims that she did know that Newton Newman has an older
brother and that has made Newt laugh heartily.
8. The ending comes to a point when Chris jokingly says that there is a monster under Newt’s bed
just before he switches off the light.
CHARACTER
CHARACTER TRAIT : TALENTED

Newt has an amazing talent at sketching pictures of superheroes character. He has

his Secret Superhero Sketchbook where he draws his superheroes like Guy Wire
who was exposed from radiation and could bounce and stretch himself.

OPINION

Newt does not let others treatment of him affects his life. He is happy to spend his
time sketching characters of his superheroes. It is like an avenue for him to channel
his frustrations and turn it into a positive vibe. Indulging in the sketching of the
superheroes characters also hone his creativity. He spends his time engaging in
creative pursuit instead of being involved in wasteful activities.

CHARACTER TRAIT : HELPFUL

Newton walks Mr Clay, the locksmith, home after his hand suddenly comes out from
the pile of cardboard boxes and grabs Newt by his ankle. He recognises the person
as Mr Clay. His mother always calls Mr Clay whenever she needs to duplicate keys.
Mr Clay is suffering from Alzheimer. He forgets his way home when he runs out of
medicine. Although Cecil is skeptical at first, Newt convinces him that Mr Clay would
do no harm. So he walks the old man home. He knows where Mr Clay lives as Mr
Clay always parks his cherry red van in front of his house. Mrs Clay is relieved to see
her husband return home safely.

OPINION

This shows that Newt is a helpful person. If I were Newt, I would do the same thing
to my old neighbour if I find him wandering around. Without Newt’s action, Mr Clay
would be lost and Mrs Clay would be so worried of her missing husband. His action
has inspired me to be a helpful person to myfamily, friends and neighbours
CHARACTER TRAIT : DETERMINATION
This is shown when Newton Newman helps Cecil to get a big bass drum from the top
of a dumpster. Cecil calls Captain Nobody to help him get the drum because he
cannot get it down by himself. Cecil insists that Captain Nobody is the one who
should climb the dumpster. At first, Newt hesitates to climb the dumpster as he is an
acrophobic. However, when he disguises as Captain Nobody, he feels more
confident to overcome his fear of height. He is determined to help his best friend and
continues climbing the dumpster. He almost gives up in the beginning but later
succeeds. He carefully passes the drum to his sidekick, Cecil who is waiting with
open arms on the ground.

During the Big Game, Chris shows his determination to win. At first Merrimac is
leading. Without giving up, Chris and his teammates go on fighting. Chris finds his
way for a touchdown. He manages to bring victory to Fillmore for the second time.

OPINION

This shows that Newt is a determined person. If I were Newt, as a ten-year-old boy, I
would not have that great determination to climb the dumpster. His action has
inspired me to be determined in facing challenges in life.

Determination will lead us to success. Chris’s determination to win paid off although
he is knocked down. We should practice determination in our life so that we can
achieve success. Being determined will bring us the victory that we deserved.

CHARACTER TRAIT : BRAVE / COURAGEOUS

This is shown when Newt rescues his brother’s rival, Reggie Ratner from a “suicide
attempt”. Newt knows that he has to tell Reggie that it is not his fault. It is Chris’ own
teammate, Darryl Peeps who knocks Chris unconscious. Since the Big Game,
everybody has blamed Reggie for knocking Chris into a coma. Newt gathers his
courage to climb although the ladder is rusty and the tower structure is weak. With
the help his best friends, Cecil and JJ, Captain Nobody climbs the ladders to the top
and slithers his way to reach Reggie. When he is half way, he looks down and feels
terrified. But he gathers his courage and continue with his climb. He then finds out
that Reggie climbs the tower to vandalise the water tank. They both end up falling
from the tower into a mattress as they descend the rotten ladder. Newt suffers a
broken ankle and two broken ribs when Reggie lands on top of him.

As he is walking home with his best friends, Cecil and JJ, they are stopped by Ricky
Ratner. Ricky is angry as his cousin Reggie, Chris’ rival, is still being hassled by
Chris’ friends. They scramble Ferocious’ cage until the cage door opens. When
Ferocious escapes from his cage, Captain Nobody goes in hot pursuit until he
reaches the highway. He bravely dodges the incoming traffic just to get Ferocious
back. He waves frantically to stop the vehicles and ends up stopping four lanes of
traffic. As soon as the traffic stops, a small aeroplane with engine trouble makes a
safe emergency landing. Captain Nobody not only rescues Ferocious but also the
passengers on the plane.
OPINION

This shows that Newt is a brave/ courageous boy. If I were Newt, I would not have
great courage to climb to the top of the water and rescue Ricky. His action inspires
me to be a courageous person in facing any challenges in life. Life sometimes
makes us go through difficult times, but being brave helps us to overcome our own
fear. We will be able to endure challenges in life.

CHARACTER TRAIT : CARING

After Chris is knocked into a coma in the Big Game, his parents spend most of their
time at the hospital, leaving Newt to fend for himself. He realizes that his parents are
heavily distracted because of the bad news. He is still hopeful that his brother will
eventually wake up from his coma. He even tries to cheer Mother up by putting on
Chris’s old clothes.

OPINION

Newt is caring towards his parents and brother. He understands the difficulty they
are going through. He does not complain and manages his life the best he knows.
He does not want to burden his family with more worries. His parents are truly lucky
to have a son like him.

CHARACTER TRAIT : LOVING

He always prepares breakfast for his family every morning. He understands that his
parents and his famous brother are always busy and occupied. When he notices
how busy and distracted Mom is, he volunteers to make breakfast every morning.
Whenever Mom needs his help with her misplaced items, Newt will always be there
because he cares about his mother. Mother is absent-minded. She depends on Newt
to remind her about important events and help her to find her misplaced belongings.
Dad is always busy answering the phone so Newt always pours him more coffee and
fetch him a pencil. Chris always sleeps in as he is tired from football practice but
Newt will always give Chris a daily wake-up call.

OPINION

This shows that Newt is a loving person. If I were in the same situation, I would be
sad if my family is too busy to spend time with me. Without Newt, his family would be
in chaos as Mom would always misplace things, Dad would always miss his
breakfast and Chris would be late to school. His action has inspired me to be a
loving person to my family.
THEME
THEME : FRIENDSHIP

This is shown when Newton Newman helps Cecil to get a big bass drum from the top
of a dumpster. Cecil calls Captain Nobody to help him get the drum because he
cannot get it down by himself. At first, Newt hesitates to climb the dumpster as he is
an acrophobic. However, knowing how much his friend loves the bass drum, he
decides to help his best friend and continues climbing the dumpster.

Newt, JJ and Cecil are always supportive of each other. JJ and Cecil help Newt out
with his costume for Halloween when they see he is not ready with his costume.
Their help has led to the creation of Captain Nobody. Newt, JJ and Cecil are always
supportive of each other. They also stand behind Newt when the whole school laugh
at him for dressing up as Captain Nobody.

OPINION

The three friends have shown a good example of friendship of friendship. They do
not hesitate to help each other when in need.

THEME : SELF DISCOVERY / OVERCOMING ONE’S FEAR

Newton Newman helps Cecil to get a big bass drum from the top of a dumpster.
Cecil calls Captain Nobody to help him get the drum because he cannot get it down
by himself. At first, Newt panics to climb the dumpster when he sees how high it is.
However, he fights his fear of heights and continues to the top to not disappoint his
friend.

Newt overcomes his fear of heights when he rescues Reggie Ratner from a “suicide
attempt”. Newt knows that he has to tell Reggie that it is not his fault. It is Chris’ own
teammate, Darryl Peeps who knocks Chris unconscious. Since the Big Game,
everybody has blamed Reggie for knocking Chris into a coma. Newt gathers his
courage to climb although the ladder is rusty and the tower structure is weak. While
climbing, his mask gets caught in a nail and rips off. At first he feels vulnerable
especially when he looks down. But he gathers his courage and continue with his
climb. He then finds out that Reggie climbs the tower to vandalise the water tank.
They both end up falling from the tower into a mattress as they descend the rotten
ladder. Newt suffers a broken ankle and two broken ribs when Reggie lands on top
of him.

OPINION

By overcoming his fear Newt becomes a hero. This admirable quality in him
undoubtedly teaches all teenagers to overcome our fear. Newt is a good role model
to all teenagers.
THEME : FAMILY LOVE
Every morning he prepares breakfast for his family. He understands that his parents
and his famous brother are always busy and occupied. When he notices how busy
and distracted Mom is, he volunteers to cook breakfast every morning. Whenever
Mom needs his help with her misplaced items, Newt will always be there because he
cares about mother. Mother is absent-minded. She depends on Newt to remind her
about important events and help her to find her misplaced belongings. Dad is always
busy answering the phone so Newt always pours him more coffee and gets him a
pencil.

Newt supports his brother and is proud of his achievement. He plays the part as a
spokesperson in informing his fan of Chris’s situation. He is very worried when Chris
is hospitalized and insists to be at the hospital with Chris. He also is the one who
would wake Chris up when he oversleeps.

Mom and Dad also show their love to Chris. They stand by his side throughout his
ordeal every single day. They never give up in hoping the best for Chris. Mom even
cries when she holds Chris’s clothes. She misses having Chris around.

OPINION

We must love our family members. His love for his brother keeps him hopeful that
Chris will come out from his coma. They are the most important people in our life.
Without them our life will be meaningless. The love shared by Newt and his family
emphasizes the importance of love in a family. Love runs deep nad it leads to good
things in life.
VALUE

VALUE : BEING BRAVE

Newt as Captain Nobody rescues Ferocious the Ferret on the highway. He chased
Ferocious amidst the busy traffic. He even waves his hand in the attempt to stop the
traffic. The traffic stops and coincidentally, his action saves an airplane which landed
in an emergency on the highway.

Newt gathers his courage to climb the water tower although the ladder is rusty and
the tower structure is weak. He wants to help calm Reggie down. With the help his
best friends, Cecil and JJ, Captain Nobody climbs the ladders to the top and slithers
his way to reach Reggie. He then finds out that Reggie climbs the tower to vandalise
the water tank but his left foot is stuck. He managed to get Reggie’s foot which was
stuck. They both end up falling from the tower into a mattress as they descend the
rotten ladder.

Newt suffers a broken ankle and two broken ribs when Reggie lands on top of him.
Newt helps to save Reggie from falling from the water tower. He is later awarded
with a golden key.

Captain Nobody shows tremendous bravery by stepping into the Sullivan’s jewellery
store and prevents a robbery from happening.

OPINION

This incident shows Newt’s bravery. He risks his life to save Ferocious. At the same
time, he saves innocent lives on board the aeroplane. If I were in the same situation,
I would be afraid to run into a busy highway to chase after my pet. His action has
inspired me to be courageous in facing any challenges in life. His courageous act
should be admired as not many people are prepared to perform such brave act. In
saving Reggie, Newt shows his bravery in conquering his own fear. He is a brave
boy who has contributed to the society. His bravery is to be applauded as he takes
action no matter what the consequences is.

VALUE : BEING HELPFUL

Newton walks Mr Clay, the locksmith, home after his hand suddenly comes out from
the pile of cardboard boxes and grabs Newt by his ankle. He recognises the person as
Mr Clay. His mother always calls Mr Clay whenever she needs to duplicate keys. Mr
Clay is suffering from Alzheimer. He forgets his way home when he runs out of
medicine. Although Cecil is skeptical at first, Newt convinces him that Mr Clay would
do no harm. So he walks the old man home. He knows where Mr Clay lives as Mr
Clay always parks his cherry red van in front of his house. Mrs Clay is relieved to see
her husband return home safely.

OPINION
This shows that Newt is a helpful person. If I were Newt, I would do the same thing
to my old neighbour if I find him wandering around. Without Newt’s action, Mr Clay
would be lost and Mrs Clay would be so worried of her missing husband. His action
has inspired me to be a helpful person to my family, friends and neighbours.

VALUE : BEING OPTIMISTIC

Newton does not let anything dampen his spirit and remains positive even though he
is ignored by his schoolmates and his parents. Though he is ten years old, Newt
accepts his parents’ neglect and copes with the pain of missing Chris. He does not
blame or resent anyone. Even when his parents are at home, they do not spend time
with him or even talk to him. Although he is sidelined by his friends at school and
neglected by his workaholic parents at home, he accepts the situation without
complain.

OPINION

This shows that Newt is an optimistic person. If I were in the same situation, I would
not be as positive as Newt. Without Newt’s optimism, he would remain sad and feel
down being neglected by his own parents and his friends. His action has inspired me
to be optimist in facing bad times.
Novel Captain Nobody : Model Question + Answer (1)
1. The following is the novel studied in the literature component in English language.

Captain Nobody – by Dean Pitchford

“Determination is the key to success.” How is this shown in the novel that you have
read? Support your answer with close reference to the text.

......................................................................................

MODEL ANSWER (A QUALITY) :

The novel that I have studied is Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford. The statement
“Determination is the key to success” is clearly shown in the novel by a few characters. It is
undeniable that determination will help us to succeed.

Firstly, the character Newt shows high determination in order for him to succeed
in helping Cecil to get a big bass drum from the top of a dumpster. Cecil needs Captain
Nobody’s help to get a big bass drum on top of a dumpster because he cannot get it down
by himself. Cecil insists that Captain Nobody is the one who should climb the dumpster.
Newt hesitates when he saw how high it is. It is such a big task for Newt since he is
acrophobic- he has fear of heights. However, he is determined to help his best friend to fulfil
Cecil’s dream of owning the bass drum. Slowly, Newt continues climbing the dumpster. This
has clearly shown that his great determination has overcome his greatest fear of heights.

Secondly, the character which has shown great determination in order to succeed is
Chris Newman. Prior to the Big Game, Chris has been training hard with his teammates.
The Big Game has become the greatest rivalry between Fillmore High School and Merrimac
High School for two consecutive years. In the first year, Chris was only the substitute player.
He came in the quarter of the Finals and showed great determination to get himself a
touchdown and led his team to the victory. His determination has placed him as a regular
first team player for next year’s season. During the second final, which everyone is referring
to the Big Game, Chris shows high determination and also inspires his teammates. During
the last moment of the game, the Merrimac High manages to score a touchdown, leading the
Fillmore High by a slight margin. Chris, without giving up, is determined to score a
touchdown and has succeeded in doing so within the final 7 seconds of the Big Game. As a
result, the Ferrets of Fillmore manage to secure another victory for that year. This has clearly
shown how determination is the key to success.

Newt portrays the courage, determination and perseverance too as Captain Nobody. For
example, he is supposed to look after the Ferocious, theFillmore team’s mascot. It
escapes when Reggie Ratner and his friends cause disturbance until the cage opens. It
runs on to the busiest highway with four lanes of vehicles racing after it. Newt is brave and
determined to catch it because he is responsible to return it safely the next day. Without
thinking of his safety, Newt, runs to the middle of the highway, screaming and waving his
hands to stop the vehicles. He could have been run over many times. Yet he goes after
Ferocious with cars zooming dangerously close. Slowly, the traffic comes to a halt and at the
moment, a passenger plane with engine problem makes an emergency landing on the
freeway that is cleared of traffic. In saving shown that his determination has superseded his
safety. He sacrificed his life for others.

In short, I really think that determination will lead us to success. Newt and Chris have shown
determination that can be considered as heroic acts.Newt, by conquering his fear when
helping Cecil and risking his life when saving Ferocious. Chris, by giving his all to
make sure Fillmore wins the Big Game. They are indeed role models for teenagers like
me. We should practice the value in our life so that we can achieve what we have always
wanted.

Novel Captain Nobody : Model Question + Answer (2)

2. The following is the novel you have studied in the literature component in English
language.

Captain Nobody – by Dean Pitchford

“It is important for us to learn to forgive and forget.” With close reference to the text,
explain how this is portrayed by one of the characters in the novel.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

MODEL ANSWER :

The novel I have studied is Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford.After reading the
novel, it is important for us to learn to forgive and forget. This is portrayed in the novel
by one of the characters, Newton Newman.
 Newt’s parents always have time for Chris but Newt is never jealous of him. In fact,
he loves his brother very much and hero-worships him. Chris is the star of Fillmore’s Football
Team. He is always in the limelight and the centre of attention even at home. Newt forgives
this situation and even Chris. He understands the situation and does not blame Chris for his
popularity. He even acts as the spokesperson for Chris when he is hospitalized. He gives
updates on Chris to his fans. This shows that Newt is independent and has a good
heart. He does not complain although he feels overshadowed by his famous football
player brother. He forgives him in the situation and does not blame him for the lack of
attention he is experiencing.

We know that Newton Newman loves his brother very much. He is extremely worried
when his brother is in a coma. It starts with the incident from the Big Game. He manages to
bring the well-deserved victory for his team but unfortunately, he falls into a coma as there
are clashes of helmets during the Big Tackle. Some of them start to blame Reggie Ratner,
the Merrimac High player for the incident. It is a difficult time for Newt as Chris is beloved
brother. To see his brother in a coma is tough for him. He could have been mad with Reggie
but he remains calm. The truth is finally revealed that it is actually Daryll Peeps who clashes
his helmet against Chris during the final moment of the Big Game. Newt knows that such
thing happens in sports and sometimes they are unavoidable. He forgives Daryll who
causes his brother to fall into a coma. This makes Newt a person of an exceptional
quality.

At home, his parents are so busy with their jobs that they hardly have time to
interact with him and do not even realize they tend to overlook him. Besides, nobody takes
him seriously because he is very young. When Chris goes into coma after a terrible tackle,
Newt’s parents neglect him at home to look after Chris for weeks at the hospital. They do not
allow him to visit Chris as he is too young, so all he can do is wait at home and worry. They
seem to forget to help him prepare for one of the most important holidays of the year,
Halloween. Newt, however, blends into the background without complaining.

He does not complain or resent anyone for neglecting him at any time. Such is the
pathetic situation he is in but he does not complain or resent anyone for it. He
forgives his parents and understand the situation they are in. He tries his level best to
be a good son and carry on with life.

I strongly believe that Newt would appeal to teenagers for various reasons. He is
insignificant and often-forgotten. Most people do not even know that he exists. At school,
kids push him out of the way or completely ignore him. At home, his parents are too
busy to focus on him especially when they have a popular son. The attention is
always on Chris. Newt never bears any grudges on them. This clearly shows that
when we learn to forgive and forget, we will also be able to maintain harmonious
relationship amongst us and we could also avoid severe incident from happening.
Novel Captain Nobody : Model Question + Answer (3)
3. The following is the novel you have studied in the literature component in English
language.

Captain Nobody – by Dean Pitchford

Suggest an alternate ending of the novel you have studied. Support your answer with
close reference to the text.

......................................................................................

MODEL ANSWER :

The novel I have studied is Captain Nobody written by Dean Pitchford. There are
many interesting incidents in the novel. If I am given the chance to alter any parts of the
story, I will choose to have an alternate ending.

The ending of the novel starts when Newt and Chris who are hospitalized come back home.
After a few days home, everything goes back tonormal, Mom relying on Newt about her
misplaced things and Dad gets back to his busy work. If I am given the chance to have
an alternative to the ending, I would choose to alter the part where everything goes back to
normal after they come home when the parade is over. My ending will portray the
family having a closer bond. First, they are seen together having breakfast prepared by
mom or dad. Newt and Chris will be at the table happily having a conversation with mom and
dad. The conversation will evolve around Newt as well. In my opinion, Mom and Dad should
not get back to their normal routines after what had happened since the Big Game. Mom
should become more responsible and she must not rely on Newt to find all her stuff. After
what happened, she should show more appreciation towards Newt.

The same thing should also be happening to Dad. He should be portrayed as he no

longer busy entertaining calls. Dad is seen announcing his new job at breakfast because
his current job requires him to spend less time with his family. To show that he is grateful to
Newt, should have put more focus and spend more time together with him. Besides, they
have already faced too many challenges as a family. It is about time they enjoy life as a
family.
 The conversation at the breakfast table is no longer a hectic situation with Newt
being ignored. This time mom and dad will have a conversation where Newt is given an
acknowledgement. The ending will portray Newt sharing his experience in school the day
before and both mom and dad and Chris, listening and joining in the conversation. He is no
longer being pushed aside. As parents, mom and dad should show their care by giving their
children the attention they deserve. They should not practice favouritism by only paying
attention on a particular child.

That would be the ending that I would like to suggest if I am given the chance to do
so. The ending will show mom and dad playing their parts as responsible and caring
parents. They will be the main factor that will bind the family together. Close family bond is
the major factor for happiness in life. That will definitely make the story becomes more
interesting and perhaps, Captain Nobody II will be coming out soon and the telling stories of
his teenage years.

Soalan Peperiksaan + Skema Jawapan (1)

Question 1 :

“We must have the courage to do the right thing”

Based on the novel that you have read, provide incidents from the novel that support this
statement.

Sample Answer :

Based on the novel Captain Nobody written by Dean Pitchford that I have studied,
the story is about a kid named Newton Newman or more popularly known as Captain
Nobody. Throughout his journey to transform from the unknown, he showcases his
courage to do the right thing in a variety of situations.

Firstly, Newt climbs the dumpster to get the drum for his best friend, Cecil. At
first, Newt who was afraid of heights did not want to do so. He was worried it may crush
Cecil if it slips and drops. However, Cecil convinced Newt that only Captain Nobody could do
the job. So, Newt decided to fulfil his friend‟s wish although it was difficult for him. In
my opinion, Newt showed his courage to do the right thing here which is to help his
friend. If I were Newt, I would do the same thing to make my friends feel happy.

Next, Newt showcases his courage by saving Ferocious the ferretwhen he

dashed onto the highway and screamed at the vehicles to stop in order to save Ferocious.
No one was brave enough to save the ferret except for Newt. He knew he must take good
care of Ferocious because it was his school‟s football team mascot. In my opinion, Newt
did the right thing to save Ferocious, which was a responsibility entrusted to him.
However, he would not have been able to do so if he did not have the courage.

Lastly, Newt climbs up the Appleton water tower to save Reggie Ratner. Newt
watches the news report about Reggie Ratner climbing to the roof of the Appleton water
tower and he quickly made his way there. Even though he is afraid of heights, he
courageously climbed the water tower to save Reggie. For a ten-year-old, in my opinion,
his decision to climb the water tower to save another person who has nothing to do
with him is the right thing to do and is very bold and extraordinary.

In a nutshell, as we can see from the evidences above shown by Newt, we must
have courage to do the right thing. By doing so, it will help us to grow stronger and face
challenges in life.

Question 2 :
“A brave man is not he who doesn’t feel afraid, but he who conquers
fear”
With close reference to the text, describe how this is portrayed by one of the
characters and explain how this quality would benefit you.
.
Sample Answer :
Based on the novel Captain Nobody written by Dean Pitchford that I have studied, a
quality about conquering fear has been portrayed by the main character of the novel
– Newton Newman. Newt was characterized as someone who is timid and
afraid of height, but somehow succeeded in conquering his fear. This
quality is shown many time throughout the story.
First things first, Newt climbed the dumpster to get the bass drum for his
best friend. At first, he was reluctant because he was scared of heights but he
convinced himself that Captain Nobody was a fearless hero. Even though climbing a
dumpster does not seem that challenging, this event showed that Newt had
succeeded in conquering his fear. In my opinion, no matter what problems
we will face today or tomorrow, if we have the courage to conquer our
fear, we are able to overcome any difficulties in life.
Secondly, Newt climbed the Appleton Water tower to save Reggie Ratner.
Reggie was hustled by Chris‟s teammates, and he decided to climb the Appleton
water tower to spray paint a sign in support of Merrimac High on the tower. Before
he could carry out his plan, his foot broke through the rotten roof and got stuck.
People assumed he was going to jump down and commit suicide. Newt showed his
bravery by climbing up the tower. By doing so, Next found a new friend in the
hulking Reggie Ratner. In my opinion, this shows us that being brave will
allow us to make more friends easily.
The third event was when Newt save Ferocious the ferret. In the mad tussle
with Ricky Ratner and his friends, the ferret‟s cage door flew open and Ferocious
escaped. Captain Nobody bravely diced with death several times on the highway to
save Ferocious and ended up stopping four lanes of traffic. This enabled a plane with
engine trouble to make a safe emergency landing. In my opinion, it is important
to have the courage to save someone in trouble. This shows that being
brave benefits us as we will be able to protect others especially our
loved ones.
In a nutshell, Newt is a brave person. He tried to overcome his fear in order to help
others. We should try to follow the examples shown by Newt because, as I have
mentioned above, being brave benefits us in numerous ways.

Question 3 :
It is important to stand up for what is right. Discuss how this is portrayed in
the novel you have read. Support your answers with close reference to the text.
.
Sample Answer :
Based on the novel that I have read in the literature component in form five which is
titled „Captain Nobody‟ by Dean Pitchford, there are loads of events that
showed the importance of standing up for what is right.
Standing up for what is right was portrayed when Captain Nobody retrieved the
big bass drum from the top of the dumpster for Cecil. At first, Newt was
deciding whether he should help Cecil or ignore the call but then decided to go and
help him to get the drum because he thought of his responsibility as superhero. If
Newt had ignored his friend‟s call for help, maybe Cecil would have lost faith in
him. In my opinion, Newt standing up for what was right was the best
decision and that made his friends’ faith in him became much stronger.
That event truly showed that standing up for what is right is important.
Other than that, Newt showed that he stood up for what was right in the event
where he tried to chase Ferocious the ferret and unexpectedly made space
for an aeroplane to land safely. When Ferocious ran away, Newt could have
chosen to just leave it be but when he remembered that Ferocious was his
responsibility, Newt decided to chase Ferocious because that was the right thing to
do. Newt stood up for what was right and at the same time he saved many lives in the
aeroplane. In my opinion, if Newt had not stood up for what wasright the
aeroplane would have crashed and many lives would have been lost.
That event clearly showed that standing up for what is right is important because it
can benefit us as well the people around us.
The next event that showed how Newt stood up for what was right is
whenNewt saved Reggie Ratner on top of the water tower. When Newt saw
on the news that Reggie who everyone believed wanted to commit suicide from the
top of the Appleton water tower, he went straight to the scene to help Reggie and to
tell the truth about who knocked out Chris Newman. I think that if Newt had not
decided to go and help Reggie which was the right decision, Reggie
might have been stuck at the top of the Appleton water tower for a long
time and the truth would have not been unveiled. That event really showed
that Newt stood up for what was right as Captain Nobody.
As the conclusion, standing up for what is right is very important and it can also
benefit not only one‟s life but other people‟s lives too.

“Family supports family.”

With close reference to the text, describe how this is portrayed by one of the
characters and explain how this quality would benefit you.
.

Sample Answer :

Based on the novel that I have studied which is Captain Nobody by Dean
Pitchford, the main character which is Newton Newman had gone through many
obstacles and challenges to be noticed by people around him. Throughout this whole
novel, the character who was portrayed to support his family is Newt.

One of the evidences that proved this was that Newt cooked breakfast for his
family every morning. This was supposed to be his mother‟s duty but she was
easily distracted and once even put turkey with the bowl of milk. Since then, Newt
had taken over the responsibility of making breakfast for the family. This shows that
he is supportive towards his family. In my opinion, Newt is an exemplary member
of a family because for a ten yearold, he knew just what it takes to help ease
his family’s burden.

Secondly, Newt helped cheer his mum up when she was down about
Chris’ condition. He tried to be funny by wearing his brother‟s clothes which were
too big for him.

But when he wanted to show it, his mum already left the house which made him a bit
disappointed because he wanted to see his mother‟s smile but didn‟t get the chance
to see it.If I were him, I would definitely do the same thing just to see my family
happy - even if it means that I do silly things like Newt.

Lastly, he took care of himself without his parents being around so that he
would add to the burden of both of his parents when Chris was in coma. This shows
that it needs understanding between the family members to keep the family
together. In my opinion, for a ten year old boy, he is really matured, which
indicates that he would be a great and supportive leader for his family in the
future.

In a nutshell, it is important for us to support our family members despite

whatever challenges that may have come. Being a family means that you are
guaranteed to have people supporting you from the back and cheering you on. In
order to have this kind of family relationship, we need to start supporting our family
just like what Newt did.

Suggest one character in the novel that you think is admirable. Briefly
describe the character and give reasons for your choice with close reference to the
text.
.

Sample Answer :
The novel I study is Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford. The story is about a ten
year-old boy named Newt who found his inner other when he first wore the Captain
Nobody costume. He had gone through many difficulties during his life journey. The
character that I think is admirable is Newt. There are many reasons to
support my choice.
The first reason why I find Newt to be admirable is because Newt is brave. There
was one time when Cecil asked Newt to help him to retrieve a big bass drum from the
dumpsters. It was hard for Newt because he had a fear of heights but, after some
encouragement from Cecil, he finally climbed up the dumpster and passed down the
drum. In my opinion, for a child that was scared of height like Newt, it
was something impressive to do. This can prove that Newt is not just an
ordinary ten year-old kid, but he is wise and matured. It was a good
deed to do and if I were him, I will definitely do the same thing just to be
a better person.
The second reason why I believe Newt is an admirable character is because he is
a responsible child. Preparing breakfast had become his new daily routine since
his mom could not be distracted while doing two things at once. He was also the one
who was responsible enough to wake Chris up the morning of the Big Game. In my
opinion, Newt had showcased his maturity and his responsibility by
helping his family to prepare breakfast. To have the youngest member
of the family preparing breakfast is indeed something admirable. So,
we must make Newt as a role model of showing our responsibility even
if we are the youngest in the family.
The last reason is why I find Newt so admirable is because Newt is helpful. This
was proven when he helped Mr. Clay by walking him to his home. It happened right
after he helped Cecil, when Mr. Clay held his ankle. Newt thought that the person
might be a drunkard but he then realized that it was Mr.Clay, a locksmith. His mom
used to call him whenever she forgot or lost the keys. Then proudly, Newt offered to
walk him to his house. He even introduced himself as Captain Nobody. In my
opinion, we should help other people especially the people who we
know like Newt.
In a nutshell, Newt is admirable. He has showcases various examplary good values
and does good things to other people. So, we must follow Newt‟s good values and
spread the good vibes to others. These are the reason why I choose Newt as a
character who is admirable. We should try to follow the examples shown by Newt.

“People should be allowed to follow their dreams.”

Write about a character who wants to realize his or her dream. Support your
answer with close reference to the text.
.
Sample Answer :
Based on the novel that I have studied in the literature component in form five which
is titled “Captain Nobody‟ by Dean Pitchford, there are many characters who
wanted to realize their dreams. Among all of the characters, there was one
character who stood out the most in realizing his dream. The character
who I picked that realized his dream is none other than the main
character, Newton Newman.
Newt’s dream was to change himself from someone who does not exist in
people’s eyes to someone who is recognised by others. He realised him
dream by making improvements to his appearance with the Captain
Nobody costume which was originally just an old jersey and sweatpants. Newt
only thought of dressing up like Chris to cheer his mother up but at the same night he
had to go out on a Halloween Night and he still did not prepare a costume for
himself. So, his friends decided to make the changes to what he was already
wearing. In my opinion, the change of apparel was a very smart move to
let other people notice him. With that attempt, he became one stop
closer to
The second step in realizing Newt‟s dream was coming up with a brilliant
new name for his alter-ego. On the Halloween Night when Newt, Cecil and JJ
were „Trick or Treating‟, someone asked Newt about the costume that he was
wearing and asked what can they call him. Cecil and JJ tried to give names but Newt
came up with an awesome name which is Captain Nobody based on the letters „CN‟
on his mask. Later, when Newt wore his costume to school, all of the other kids and
teachers started to notice him. In my opinion, he might have chosen the
name Captain Nobody to express his feeling that he was a nobody in
people’s eyes and he wanted that to change.
Finally, Newt realised his dream by being a good samaritan. Newt made an
impact in all of Appleton when he appeared on the news because of the things that he
did to help others as Captain Nobody. First, he appeared on the news as someone
who foiled a robbery when all he did was trying to advise the store owner about the
sign board. The, he appeared again after he had accidentally saved an aeroplane from
crashing and finally, as the hero who had saved Reggie Ratner from committing
suicide. In my opinion, being a good a person always pays off in the end.
In a nutshell, all of Newt‟s effort in becoming Captain Nobody made his dream a
reality. From being someone who does not exist in people‟s eyes to someone who is
known all over Appleton.
Which character in the novel you sympathize with? Explain why you sympathize
with this character with close reference to the text.
.

Sample Answer :

The novel that I have studied which is Captain Nobody written by Dean
Pitchford is about a kid named Newton Newman who had been overshadowed by his
brother Chris Newman, a famous football player. Chris got into a coma supposedly
because of Reggie Ratner when in fact Reggie was absolutely innocent.
Therefore the character that I sympathize with the most would be Reggie
Ratner.

One of the evidences that proved this is when Reggie received many
hateful comments from people after the Big Tackle. He was blamed for putting
Chris into coma although the incident was not his fault. This would probably be
because Reggie and Chris were seen as rivals. People just assumed it without any
concrete proof. In my opinion, we

shouldn’t jump into conclusions. We should also avoid believing in rumours

without any evidences.

Secondly, Reggie’s house was vandalized by people from Chris’ school.

They placed garbage all over the house. As if doing so wasn‟t enough, they also
scattered tissue paper all over the garden. This action can only be concluded as
childish. Vandalizing is a serious crime because it is mortifying to both the
owner and the neighbours nearby.

Lastly, Reggie was bullied when he had to pay for the Chinese takeout
that he didn’t order. The takeout was addressed to him as a punishment for
supposedly putting Chris into coma. There was not much for Reggie to do except to
pay for it. In my opinion, we should think before we act because our action can
cause harm to others. For example, they can end up being depressed or
violent. Which is why, these action taken on Reggie are not acceptable.
Bullying is never an answer.

As a conclusion, I really sympathise with Reggie Ratner because throughout

the story he was portrayed as the bad person when in fact he never did anything
wrong.
Question 8 :
“Good values bring positive effects.”
How far is this true in the novel you have read? Support your answer with close
reference to the text.
.
Sample Answer :
Based on the novel Captain Nobody written by Dean Pitchford that I have
studied, the story is about a kid named Newton Newman who is going through many
challenges in order to be accepted in the society. Throughout his journey to
transform from the unknown to somebody known, he had showcases a lot of
good values which bring positive effects to himself and the people around
him.
The first value is being helpful. Newt is a very helpful person. He climbs the
dumpster to get the big bass drum for his best friend, Cecil. Although he is afraid of
height, he tried to overcome his fear in order to fulfil Cecil’s dream. At the end of the
day, he managed to get the drum for Cecil and Cecil become so happy. In the process,
he also met Mr Clay and helped to the forgetful old man home. In my opinion, we
should always try our best to help other people especially those closest
to us. By helping others, we can spread love and show our concern
towards them.
The second value is bravery. Newt is a really brave boy. Newt showcases his courage
by saving Ferocious the Ferret when it accidentally escaped from its cage. Ferocious
ran wildly, so Newt and his friends chased after it. They chased after Ferocious until
they reached the highway. Ferocious bolted into the middle of the highway and
stopped. JJ and Cecil stopped chasing after Ferocious but Newt was the only one who
was brave enough and he dashed towards Ferocious and stopped the traffic.
Suddenly, an aeroplane landed due to an emergency. Newt‟s brave action had save
the lives of the aeroplane passengers. In my opinion, we should be brave
whenever we face a challenging situation. We should always follow our
guts and be confident to make the right decision.
The last value is responsibility. Newt climbed the Appleton water tower to save
Reggie Ratner from committing suicide. Actually Reggie climbed the water tower to
spray paint on the water tower tank but people assumed that he wanted to commit
suicide due to depression. Newt felt responsible to save Reggie as he was the only one
who knows the truth. He wanted to tell Reggie that he knew Reggie was not the one
who knocked Chris out and sent him into coma. In my opinion, we should be
responsible to tell the truth even if it isdifficult.
In the end, Newt managed to achieve his dream of being somebody known. He had
become the hero of Appleton. The evidences above clearly show that good values will
definitely bring positive effects.
Question 9 :
Write about an event that has shown you the importance of making a
responsible decision. Support your answer with close reference to the text.
.
Sample Answer :
Based on the novel Captain Nobody written by Dean Pitchford that I have
studied, the story has an event that shows the importance of making a responsible
decision. Newt was a kid that happened to become the town hero – Captain Nobody.
Along his journey in being known in the society, Newt had shown the
importance of making a responsible decision.
Firstly, the event that showed the importance of making a responsible
decision is when he decided to save Reggie Ratner at the water tower.
Newt would not have been able to climb the water tower without his friends, JJ and
Cecil‟s help. I think that JJ and Cecil helped Newt to get to Reggie because they
believed that he, as Captain Nobody, had made the right decision to help Reggie. I
think that df Newt had decided to turn his back on Reggie, JJ and Cecil
might have lost their respect and faith in him.
Newt was afraid of heights, but as everyone assumed that Reggie would commit
suicide, Newt was determined to continue climbing the ladder even though the water
tower was way too high and dangerous. By deciding to save Reggie, Newt overcame
his fear of heights. In this incident, Newt succeeded in conquering his fear
of heights which is why I believe his decision to save Reggie no matter
what was a responsible decision.
Finally, after reaching the top of the water tower, Newt somehow got to know Reggie
Ratner as a better person and that unfortunately he was stuck at the tower because
his feet was wedge between the beams on the water tower. If Newt did not make
the decision to finish climbing the water tower till the top, nobody
would have known that Reggie got stuck on the tower and cannot get
down. In my opinion, Newt’s choice in saving Reggie was a responsible
choice as it was important to get Reggie down from there.
To conclude, it is important to make a responsible decision so that we can grow up to
be a wiser and mature person in the future. This story has shown, it is really
important to make a responsible decision in our life.
“Having a strong family relationship is essential in one’s life.”

How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answer with close
reference to the text.
.

Sample Answer :

Based on the novel Captain Nobody written by Dean Pitchford that I have
studied, the story had shown a strong family relationship between Newt and his
family. A strong family bond is essential in one’s life as it is clearly portrayed
by the main character Newton Newman who is always seeking for his parent’s
attention.

Firstly, Newt was sickly worried about his brother Chris after the Big
Tackle accident which put Chris into a coma. This tragedy influenced Newt‟s mood
as he was not really excited to celebrate Halloween. This showed that a strong
family relationship is important because anything bad happened to our family could
also affect us. In my opinion, this event taught me to appreciate our family as
long as long as they are still alive.

Secondly, Newt’s everyday routine is preparing the breakfast for his

family. He would prepare breakfast even though no one ate his cooking. Newt
showed how caring he is towards his family although he never gets the love he
deserved. In my opinion, whatever happens to us, as a child we must always do
good deeds to our family to ensure we keep a good relationship between each
other in the family.

Thirdly, is when Newt’s parents took care of Chris when he was in the
hospital. They take turn to take care of him. Even though when Chris was healthy,
they did not spend too much time together, it was good since they really pay
attention to Chris when he needs them. In my opinion, it shows that strong family
bond will give him strength to get well soon. It will also help in tighten the
family relationship.

As a conclusion, it is important to have a strong family relationship as one

cannot live without their loved ones. This story has shown a great family bond by
making family love as a theme of the story.